8 Chapter 7 - Determination

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Hey guys Zan here

Enjoy the chapter.

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Waking up with Nier shaking me, I say good morning to him and walk to the lake to freshen up, throw water on my face and wake up totally, 'come on, it's time for a new day'

I go back to our makeshift camp, just our sleeping bags around the campfire, I tell them to put their things away so we can move on, leaving Camp Leone starts talking.

Leone, "let's hope today is like yesterday with nothing in our way".

"*Track* what did you say?" Nier stopped walking and stepped on a branch, he looked somberly at Leone, I was also looking incredulously at him.

Merlin, "after all the animes you watched, did you still raise a black flag for us?" I say looking at him like an idiot.

(A/N - Black flag- The name or noun is the type of words whose meaning determines reality. )

Leone raised his hands trying to appease the situation, "calm down guys, nothing's going to happen, right?"

Nier and I ignored him and moved on to reach the road that led to orario, Leone kept begging us to stop ignoring him, we told him without more Black flags and he agreed, we started talking about our respective training and the difficulty we are facing, while walking I tried to circulate my aura at low voltage through my body to continue increasing my tolerance.

Continuing our journey to Orario, the afternoon went by without problems, walking along the road, an hour away from the sun if we saw a cloud of black smoke at the end of the road, looking like a fire.

"Hey come on! Someone might be in need of help!" Leone exclaimed, starting to run, but Nier stopped him.

"Wait, idiot, we don't even know what happened, it could be a very strong monster for us or a trap, we shouldn't be stops for level 2 adventurers, don't act on impulse! "Nier scolded Leone, 'honestly sometimes I don't know who's the oldest of the two'

Merlin, "nier is right, we go through the bushes by the side of the road, we evaluate the situation if necessary we intervene, if not, it is not our problem" I say to Leone with a serious expression, calming down he takes a deep breath, getting serious he rests with his head.

Merlin, "Let's go fast, make as little noise as possible" Nier and Leone sit in agreement.

We move into the bushes by the side of the road and move silently to the smoke, coming close we hide in a bush and observe the situation, 'it seems that a traveling carriage that was attacked, clothes torn on the ground and traveling luggage scattered, did not bother to plunder it, the horse is dead, his belly is open, everything points to monsters, but which one?

Observing for a while I see no monsters around, I signal to Leone and Nier that it is clean, we get out of the bush and start to approach us and observe closely, Nier and Leone follow me closely from behind, I see small footprint marks near the carriage going to the horse then to the cabin of the carriage, marks of something being dragged are present at the entrance of the carriage I see blood on the ground next to the marks, the drag marks extend into the forest, looking closely at the horse with its belly open, turns my stomach a little not being used to so much blood.

I look at Nier and Leone and they are not in better situations either, I take my eyes off the horse and approach to look inside the cabin, I send Mana to my hand just as a precaution, I approach the door of the carriage, I grab the handle and open it quickly, completely regretting to look inside, A dead man rested on one of the seats, his chest sunk with a stone axe, dried blood on his clothes, an expression of pain and fear was etched on his face until after death, not being able to deal with the vision I close the door, run into the bush and empty my stomach.

My mind goes back and forth with the image of the corpse, I realize that this is real, it's not a fiction, a man is dead, 'could be one of us, I need to get stronger quickly' I shudder at the thought of being one of my brothers there and strengthen my determination even more, 'I need power to protect them'

< Leone pov change>

After Merlin went into the bush, I was paralyzed in shock when reality hit me on my knees and I put my hand in my mouth while trying to stop me from vomiting 'Dead, someone is dead in front of me, coming into this world I thought it would be like him laughing with his family and getting stronger, But this is the reality, it could have been Merlin or Nier, I couldn't bear to lose them, without Merlin I wouldn't even be alive and Nier is younger than me, I need to help Merlin, I can't let him carry everything on his back, I'll protect them' a fire lit in Leone's eyes, illuminating the first step for his future.

<Nier pov change>

I saw Merlin running to the bush, but I didn't mind, I was too busy thinking about what I had witnessed, 'I couldn't see very well just at a glance, with Merlin in front of me, but it was enough to shock me that way, so Merlin must have been the most affected he saw the body with all the details... '

'Merlin always carried everything on his shoulders, after our father died, without complaining once he just smiled at us and would say that everything is fine, for this reason I started working to be less bother for him, if he heard what I am thinking, he would probably hit me and would say that I am not a bother'

'The idiot would probably face the world to defend his family, I need to help him with his burden, that idiot Leone too if it weren't for me and Merlin he would have killed himself already, simple hearted idiot, but I couldn't ask for better brothers' tears run down my face while I promise myself to help them carry their burden.

< Merlin pov change>

Leaving the bush I go back to my brothers, I see that they are still assimilating everything they have seen, I don't blame them yet I am a little shaken, I watch them slowly coming back to themselves coming out of their thoughts, they seem more determined with a newly discovered fire in their eyes, I give them a comforting smile, "don't worry, this will never happen to any of us, we will face everything that this world has for us, I will guarantee it" they nod and the flame of determination makes their eyes shine, I can't help wondering if this glow is magic?

I am taken from my thoughts when I hear a cry coming from the forest "*aaahhhhhhh*"

I look at my brothers and they just look into my eyes, a silent agreement formed "don't need to say anything, let's go and be careful" we move with the high guard slowly entering the forest towards the scream.

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Zan here again

that was it, nothing too big right? I did the chapter thinking about developing the determination to survive in this world in the brothers, did I do well?

I just think it's ridiculous when a protagonist starts killing without remorse or a little aversion to corpses, that's okay if he's a sociopath or a murderer, but think about it, a person used to modern life, arrives in a world and starts killing unbridled, strange right?

Comment what you think of the chapter in the comments.

See you in the next chapter.

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